Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lusaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusaka: $872 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lusaka

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Lusaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $872 in Lusaka.

Medellin $1,625
Lusaka $872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,488 in Lusaka.

Medellin $2,412
Lusaka $1,488

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $2,103 in Lusaka.

Medellin $3,199
Lusaka $2,103

Living in Medellin is roughly 86% more expensive than in Lusaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Lusaka is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$5.58 ZMW 111

48.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$29.94 ZMW 595

56.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$4.99 ZMW 99.3

85.17%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.84 ZMW 56.5

7.39%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.77 ZMW 15.27

133.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.46 ZMW 9.13

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.27 ZMW 25.34

155.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.30 ZMW 45.73

141.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.69 ZMW 33.64

-11.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.17 ZMW 23.28

102.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$2.01 ZMW 39.99

-15.42%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.96 ZMW 39.04

51.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$10.49 ZMW 209

-2.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$6.34 ZMW 126

53.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$6.61 ZMW 131

110.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$3.30 ZMW 65.6

25.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.45 ZMW 48.81

-37.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$3.66 ZMW 72.8

-39.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.57 ZMW 31.27

44.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.52 ZMW 50.1

-21.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.79 ZMW 35.66

-6.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.12 ZMW 22.24

5.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.74 ZMW 14.75

67.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.94 ZMW 58.5

31.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$10.09 ZMW 201

36.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.42 ZMW 28.21

16.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.32 ZMW 46.18

3.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.97 ZMW 19.35

27.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$50.0 ZMW 995

56.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$2.46 ZMW 48.89

-47.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.52 ZMW 30.18

41.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$4.99 ZMW 99.2

67.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.51 ZMW 29.99

-10.60%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$7,644 ZMW 152.0K

354.79%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$27.8K ZMW 553.6K

24.61%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$167 COP 528.4K

$81.7 ZMW 1,626

103.90%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$10.28 ZMW 204

32.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$54.4 ZMW 1,081

-46.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$55.1 ZMW 1,096

-18.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$15.21 ZMW 303

12.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$6.03 ZMW 120

15.59%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$790 COP 2.5M

$139 ZMW 2,774

466.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$16.5K ZMW 328.6K

-45.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$23.04 ZMW 458

281.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$15.19 ZMW 302

282.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$45.38 ZMW 903

206.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$72.9 ZMW 1,450

35.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$380 ZMW 7,564

170.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$177 ZMW 3,513

250.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,067 ZMW 21.2K

76.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$593 ZMW 11.8K

70.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,895 ZMW 37.7K

110.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$5,017 ZMW 99.8K

-66.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$316 ZMW 6,290

109.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-62.28%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lusaka: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Lusaka

$177 20.3% 71.5% $443

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Lusaka

$238 27.3% 20.2% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Lusaka

$146 16.8% 30.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Lusaka

$70 8.1% 59.2% $102

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Lusaka

$110 12.6% 35.9% $61

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Lusaka

$64 7.3% 32.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Lusaka

$67 7.7% 13.8% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $380 in Lusaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 110% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $30.00 in Lusaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $238 per month, with Lusaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

13:38 1:38 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,742,979 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Lusaka 11,680 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Lusaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Lusaka differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($1,625 vs $872 including rent). Lusaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 110% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $380 in Lusaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,625 per month in Medellin versus $872 in Lusaka – a 86% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lusaka runs roughly 56% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $872 in Lusaka versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lusaka but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Lusaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Lusaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.